Unneeded Forgiveness
by Amelia-of-Egypt
Summary: The lost memories of the Nameless Pharaoh not only plague the Pharaoh himself but his little sister as well. A beloved and honored princess reborn with no memories of her past, but is ready to learn from her past. Join Amelia Carroll as she goes through her journey. Marik/OFC. Mentions of rape and torture.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter I:**

First Day

I let out a deep sigh, pulling on the hem of my skirt as I started out the car window. I was uncomfortable in my new school uniform, both with the skirt length and the pink color of the coat. But, this was the school in my new town so I was going to live with the uniform for the time being.

Turning away from the window, I looked to my mother, Jasmine. She was sketching on a large sketch pad, her light blue eyes that I inherited focused on the drawing. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a low messy bun. My father, Chris, was on the phone with his business partner that they were going to meet with in France after they dropped me off at school.

"I hope you guys have a good trip," I said, getting their attention effectively. Dad hung up his call and Mom closed her sketch pad.

"My darling, are you going to be okay?" Mom asked, taking my hands in hers.

"You've always traveled with us when we go out of the country for business," Dad added.

I nodded. "I need to be around other kids my age. Besides, it will be cool to make friends."

Mom smiled. "You'll make friendships that will last a lifetime, my Amy."

I smiled at her in return. "Thanks, Mom."

Dad looked out the window at the school. "Looks like other students are arriving. You better get in there."

Taking another deep breath, I grabbed my white messenger bag. I kissed both of them on their cheeks and climbed out of the car. With one last wave, I walked onto the school grounds and into the main building to go to the office, thanking Ra that the office was near the front entrance, smiling at the receptionist. "Good morning," I said politely. "I am Amelia Carroll."

The receptionist smiled at me in return. "Yes, Miss Carroll. I have your paperwork here. Our principal will be escorting you to your classroom." She turned to the door that led to the principal's office. "Mr. Kimura, our new student has arrived!" She then turned back to me and handed me a folder of papers. "This folder has your locker number and combination as well as other important documents."

"Thank you, ma'am," I said sweetly.

Mr. Kimura, a nice looking older gentleman, exited his office and smiled at me. "Ah, Miss Carroll. I am sure you are ready to go to your class." His voice was nice, but had a firm tone.

I nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"Then let's go," he said, leading me out of the office.

We walked up a couple flights of stairs before reaching the fourth floor. He stopped in front of a classroom, making me stop as well. I looked in the room and saw a large group of students already in the room. I bit my lip, my nerves finally getting to me.

Mr. Kimura looked down at me. "It's all right, Miss Carroll. There are many good students in this classroom who are very kind and will welcome you."

I looked up at him, giving him a small smile. "Thank you, Mr. Kimura."

He gave me a soft nod and he walked away.

I looked back into the room and exhaled, taking steps to walk into the room. All my classmates looked like they had their own little niches, so where could I go? I ended up standing in th back of the room, watching my peers as the bell rang and the homeroom teacher walked into the room. He saw me standing in the back and gestured for me to come up to the front of the class. I could just hear the students whispering about how pretty I looked.

"Everyone, our new student will be joining us today," he announced and I stood beside him. "This is Amelia Carroll. She has been homeschooled her entire life, so this is her first time attending public school. Please help her as she learns her way around the school."

"It's nice to meet you all," I stated, giving them a bright smile and doing a medium bow from my waist.

"There is a free desk next to Yugi Muto," the teacher

I sat down in the seat the next to the boy with spiky tri-colored hair. He was much shorter than the rest of the class, a little over 5'0, and had childlike eyes. He turned to me and offered me a smile and gave one to him in return.

He then leaned over. "Hi, I'm Yugi Muto," he greeted in a whisper.

"I'm Amelia Carroll, but you can call me Amy," I whispered in return.

"Well Amy, would you like to join me and my friends at break?" he asked nicely. I must have looked surprised because he laughed a little. "I just don't want you to be lonely, is all."

I gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks. I would enjoy that a lot."

Sharing a nod, we turned to see our teacher doing math.

Ugh, Math…my mortal enemy!

About an hour later, the bell rang and the second teacher left the room and the class was free for break. I raised my arms and stretched to regain feeling in my muscles. Once finished, I looked over at Yugi to see him pulling out a puzzle box. "Is that an Italian puzzle box?" I asked curiously.

He nodded. "My grandpa owns a game shop and we had an extra in our new shipments. He gave it to me to solve."

"That was nice of him." I looked to see two more boys and a girl coming over to us. "Are those your friends?"

Yugi looked up and nodded. "Yeah, they're my best friends!"

The girl introduced herself first. "Hi, I'm Tea!"

"I'm Joey and this is my buddy Tristan," the blond boy added.

"Hi, I'm Amy. It's nice to meet you guys," I said with a soft voice.

"So, where're you from, Amy?" Joey asked, sitting in a chair in front of Yugi but leaning on his elbow on Yugi's desk.

"I was born in New York, but I've grown up all over," I answered.

"Why all over?" Tristan asked.

"My mom is a fashion designer and my dad a business man. They travel a lot and I was always with them," I explained. "They made a new deal here in Domino, but they had to leave for a meeting in Paris. I've always wanted to go to public school, so they agreed to enroll me here at Domino High School."

"All that moving, you must have a lot of friends," Tea stated, interested in my travels.

I shook my head. "No, actually. I don't have any friends."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Tea pouted, seeming genuinely sorry. "You must be so lonely."

"It's another reason I wanted to stay here. I wanna make friends." I looked around the room. "But everyone already has their niches. I don't know where I would fit in."

"You could always be friends with us," Yugi announced, looking up from his puzzle box.

"Really?" I asked with hope in my voice.

The four of them nodded.

"We'll be your friends, Amy," Tea said with strong conviction.

I smiled brightly and stood up, hugging her. Soon, the boys joined in and it felt good to have friends.

Lunch came around and Tea had shown me the location of our lockers and we went to the cafeteria to get something to eat. We sat in the courtyard garden to eat and get to know each other, just us girls while the boys were doing remedial lessons.

"Thanks for showing me around, Tea," I said.

"That's what friends are for," she replied. "We help one another."

I smiled at her. "It feels nice to have friends. Especially a girl friend. So, what do you like to do? Any hobbies?"

"Oh, I love to dance!" Mentioning the sport made her face light up and her large blue eyes sparkle. "I am saving up to go to college in New York to become a professional dancer."

"That's so cool! I have two left feet, so I can't dance." I laughed at myself.

"Well, what do you like to do?" she asked, taking a drink of her water.

I bit my lip and shrugged my shoulders. "I like to draw. It's how I remember things better than taking pictures. My new apartment has a little art area for me to paint and draw. But I'm not sure that I want to do art professionally."

"Well, you still have time to discover what you want to do," she encouraged me.

I gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Tea."

"No problem, Amy."

We finished lunch and threw our trash away, heading to our lockers to go to gym. I was sized for a PE uniform-which was even more uncomfortable than the ordinary school uniform! I mean, who thought it would be a good idea for the female PE uniform to consist of a t-shirt, bikini bottoms, socks, and sneakers? Ugh! I wore the stupid uniform and we played tennis, where Tea volunteered to be my partner so that she would go easy on me and help me learn. It was fun.

After PE, we met back up with the boys back in the classroom and waited for the English teacher to arrive. I asked, "What are you guys doing after school?"

"I have work today," Tea answered.

"I gotta get home and help my dad," Joey added.

"And I am going to work on my motorcycle with my cousin," Tristan added.

"What about you, Yugi?" I asked the shortest of us.

"Oh, I'm not doing anything," he answered. "Would you like to come over after school? I can show you my grandpa's game shop."

I gave him a big smile. "I would love that, Yugi!"

The end of school couldn't come fast enough, but it finally came and Yugi escorted me to his house at the local game shop his grandfather has owned forever. It was a small shop, but I liked in and when we entered, I was met with shelves just stocked with any type of game you could imagine.

"Gramps, I brought a new friend!" Yugi announced, making me giggle.

An older male, obviously Yugi's grandfather, came from the back room and stood behind the sales counter. "Oh, you made another female friend, Yugi!" he exclaimed.

I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head to the right. "What's that supposed to mean? Who wouldn't be friends with Yugi? He's very kind and friendly."

"Amelia is from America and is new at my school," Yugi explained. "We're going to go do homework."

"Okay, have fun," his grandfather replied.

I followed Yugi to the house section of the shop and up the stairs. We entered his bedroom and I sat on his bed, getting my homework folder out of my bag. "So, should we do math or science first…huh?" I saw a glisten off something shiny and looked to see a golden upside down pyramid hanging from Yugi's neck on a brown rope. Huh? How did I miss that? I thought to myself. "Yugi, what's that?" I asked, pointing at the pyramid.

He smiled and held it in his hands. "This is the Millennium Puzzle. It's an Ancient Egyptian artifact that Grandpa got while on a dig. He brought it back for me to solve."

"How long did it take for you to solve it?"

"Eight years," he answered. "I solved it just after I became friends with Joey and Tristan. I made a wish on the puzzle, wanting true friends."

"And it gave you Joey, Tristan, and Tea," I chimed it. "That's amazing."

"Thanks," he said. "Now, let's get math out of the way. That way, we don't have to suffer later."

I let out a laugh. "I agree."

We ended up doing homework until late into the night. I let out a large yawn as we finished our homework. A knock came to the door. "Come in," Yugi said sleepily.

The door opened and Yugi's grandfather entered the room, looking around at the papers and books scattered around the room because of us doing homework. "You two seem to have had a productive afternoon. Amelia, what time are your parents expecting you?" he asked.

I shook my head. "My parents are on their way to meet their business partners in another country. I live by myself."

"It is late…why don't you stay the night, Amelia?" Yugi suggested. "We have a guest room you can use."

I bit my lip. "I guess I could do that. It's a good thing I keep a pair of clothes in my backpack."

"Okay, it's settled," Mr. Muto stated. "Sleep well, children."

"Good night!" We said in unison as he headed for his room to go to bed.

"Come on, Amelia, I'll show you the guest room," Yugi said, showing me to the guest room down the hall. "I'll see you in the morning!"

"Hey, Yugi," I said shyly.

"Yes, Amelia?" he asked, turning back to look at me.

I gave him a smile. "Thanks for being friends with me. I'm so lucky that I found such good and caring people as friends."

Yugi gave me a bright smile. "It's no problem, Amelia. Night!"

"Night, Yugi!" We entered our rooms and that's how it all began. I had moved to a new country and found true friends. Then, my entire world changed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II:**

Heart of the Cards

I stood behind Yugi, watching him play Duel Monsters with Joey. It had been about four weeks since I came to Domino City and it felt like I had been there forever. The boys were like brothers and Tea was like the sister I always wanted.

I leaned down and looked at Yugi's cards. "So, how do you play this game?" I asked, intrigued by the game play.

"You see, each monster has attack and defense points," Yugi explained. "The players duel to bring each other's life points down to zero. The first one who does so wins the duel."

"Oh…" I whispered. "So, it's a strategy game?"

Yugi nodded. "Yes, it is, Amelia. Are you interested in learning how to play?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure, to be perfectly honest. I'm not much of a strategy person."

"I can show you how to play after school," Yugi offered, smiling up at me.

"Would you really?" I asked, still a little shy about asking my new friends for help. "I would really like that."

"Why don't you all come over?" Yugi suggested to our group. "Maybe I can get Grandpa to show off his super rare card!"

"Rare card?" Joey asked. "Sounds awesome!"

"Sounds like fun," Tristan added.

"Then it's settled!" Tea stated.

Leaving school, I was laughing at a joke Tea had told me. We walked with our friends, heading to Yugi's house. It was a nice and warm afternoon when we arrived at the Game Shop, the four of us entering behind Yugi. "Grandpa, I'm home!" Yugi announced.

"Yugi, I see you brought guests!" Grandpa stated as we walked up to the counter. "Ah, Amy. Are you staying with us again?" he asked me.

I nodded. "My parents are headed to Egypt for another business conference. They should be back in a couple weeks, though." I moved to set my backpack in the living room before coming back to the shop. "I really appreciate you guys letting me stay here while my parents are out of the country."

"We enjoy having you here, Amy," Yugi stated with a smile. "It's like having a sister!"

I gave him a bright smile.

Yugi then turned back to Grandpa. "Gramps, can we see your super rare card? Please?" Yugi asked nicely.

"Rare card? My special card?" Gramps asked, looking off to the side as he playfully contemplated the idea.

"Please? Please?" Yugi and I asked sweetly.

"Pretty please?" Joey asked as well, bowing respectfully to Grandpa.

Grandpa went from contemplating to a bright smile. "Ha, ha, how can I refuse?" He turned around and pulled out a small card-sized brown box, placing it on the glass counter where the cash register sat. "You kids are in for a treat; I don't take this care out too often." He opened the box and showed us a card with a ferocious looking dragon on it. "Here it is, _The Blue Eyes White Dragon_ ; so rare, so powerful, I never let it leave my hands."

I felt a thumping in my chest and head, as if something was familiar about the sight of that dragon but this was my first time seeing it. It was an odd feeling, but it wasn't scary. I would have to learn about it another time.

We all looked at the card with awe and wonder, but Tristan simply plucked the card from Grandpa with an unimpressed look on his face. "It doesn't look all that special to me," he stated plainly.

Grandpa, after recovering from the shock of Tristan taking the card from him, swiftly took the card back and held it to him. "This card is priceless," he stated bluntly. "There are only four of them in the world!"

"Speaking of prices, I'm ready to trade," Joey stated bluntly.

"Not for THIS card," Grandpa almost growled, holding the card away from us.

Joey looked at Grandpa with confusion before realizing that he had taken Joey's statement wrong. "Huh? Nah, I don't mean that card," he assured Grandpa. "I meant show me some other cool cards to get me started."

"I can go get the new shipment from the back to do that, Gramps," I offered, ready to do some work. While staying with the Muto family, I was working with Yugi in the shop part-time. I headed to the back and got the big box of Duel Monsters cards, picking it up and carrying it back to the front of the shop. "Got it," I announced as I entered the front, but was shocked to see a blue-eyed brunette man taller than all of us dressed in our school's male uniform and a briefcase filled with Duel Monsters cards. "Um, what's going on?" I asked, looking at Yugi and the others.

The brunette turned to me with a sneer on his face, but it seemed to soften just a tad when he saw me. The look vanished and he growled, "I see you got the new girl pulled into your loser club, Yugi."

"Excuse me, that's rude," I scolded him. "You don't get to come into Yugi's home and start insulting people like you're better than them."

He grunted. "You can't tell me what to do, Runt."

"And you can't treat people like they're below you!" I rebutted, setting the box of card packs on the counter. I walked to the front the counter and stood in front of the boy, looking up at him with my hands on my hips. "You're acting like a child."

"Amy, don't," Yugi said with concern, pulling on my arm to try and pull me back. "Don't let Kaiba get to you."

"No, I am sick of trust fund babies treating other people like crap," I stated, looking back at Yugi before looking back up at Kaiba. "What exactly brought you here anyway?"

"I came for the Blue Eyes White Dragon that this old man has," Kaiba told me with a condescending voice. "Do you understand how rare it is?"

"Who cares?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "That card means everything to Gramps. You don't get to come in here and demand something because of it rarity. Not only is it rude, it's disrespectful. Nothing you do is going to get Gramps to give you the card."

"And what are you going to do to about it, Runt?" Kaiba threatened.

Running the name Kaiba through my mind, I recalled that this must be Seto Kaiba-CEO of Kaiba Corporation, a lucrative game company. A game company that was reborn from a quasi-military company that was shut down when Seto Kaiba inherited the reigns. I smirked and stated, "Wouldn't want your company's stocks and shareholders to deplete if they hear about the CEO harassing the elderly for their personal property, now would we?"

"Can she do that?" Tristan whispered to Tea.

"Her parents are successful businessmen and she has been around the rich world her entire life," Tea said. "She must know plenty of news outlets who trust her word."

Kaiba, fixing a glare on me, slammed his briefcase closed and turned away from us. "You haven't seen the last of me. You will rue the day you crossed me," he warned darkly. With that, he left the shop and drove off in his limo.

I let out a deep sigh and turned to the others, my smirk falling. "I apologize for my behavior. I grew up with idiots like that and I'm sick of their attitude of thinking they own the world and that the world should bow to their every demand."

Gramps smiled and shook his head. "You were very brave to stand up to him and protect me and my treasure. Thank you, my dear Amy."

"Yeah, you showed that Kaiba who's boss!" Joey added.

"You stood up for what you believed in," Tea chimed in. "That's the best thing you can do."

"Let's just hope Kaiba doesn't try to muddle your name, Amy," Yugi said with worry. "I don't want you to get hurt." He looked at me with brotherly concern.

"When I know you guys have my back, I'm not scared of anything, especially Seto Kaiba," I said bravely.

"And we're always here for you," Tea assured me.

"Come on, let's get you started on your training," Yugi told me, grabbing my hand and pulled me into the living room. The rest of our friends followed and stayed for a couple of hours before they left for their homes for the night.

It was creeping close to 9 pm and we were sitting on the floor of Yugi's room, Duel Monsters cards all around us as I was working to construct a good deck. "So, it is a mixture of not only monster cards, but spell and trap cards as well," I stated, looking at the cards in my hands.

Yugi nodded. "The trap and spell cards are used to strengthen your monsters and protect them from your opponent. It's all about building a deck that is cohesive and you can use with honor to your deck."

"Yeah, the Heart of the Cards like Grandpa was saying when we got the first shipment in," I chimed, looking at the Kuriboh in my left hand. "Even the weakest monsters can put up a fight because of effects, right?"

"That's right," he said, picking up more cards from the group. "Let's start with what type of deck do you want: spellcaster, machine, strategy, etc. It's all about creating a deck of your personality and likes."

I smiled and picked up a card that had the picture of a blue-haired woman with six wings and wore a golden wrap dress. The card name read Wingweaver. "Can I somehow revolve my deck around a certain card?" I asked.

He nodded. "Which card calls to you?"

I showed him the card. "An angel who prays for hope and peace…sounds a lot like me," I admitted.

Yugi smiled. "She does. We can build a fairy/spellcaster deck to surround her."

"Then let's do it!"

We walked up to the game shop, school finished for the day and we were ready to just hang out.

"I can't wait to see if he has more cards," Joey stated excitedly and we all cheered in agreement, approaching the game shop. We entered the game shop and Joey shouted, "Hey Gramps, I'm back to get more cards! Gramps?"

We noticed that the front counter was unoccupied, which was odd because it was being the middle of the day.

"Grandpa, Amy and I are home," Yugi added.

"Maybe he…went out?" Tea suggested.

"Maybe, but why would he leave the door unlocked?" Joey questioned.

The phone on the wall behind the counter began to ring so Yugi walked up to the phone and answered, "Hello, Game Shop." His face showed shock when he heard the voice. "Kaiba?!" he said. He listened for a few moments before saying, "Kaiba! What've you done, Kaiba?!" Not getting any more answers, he hung up the phone.

"Does Kaiba have Grandpa?" I asked Yugi.

He nodded. "We need to go get him from Kaiba Corp!"

Once at Kaiba Corp, we exited the elevator on an upper floor with Yugi running out in front of us to Grandpa, who was lying on the ground.

"Grandpa! Grandpa. A-are you okay?" Yugi asked Grandpa.

Grandpa propped himself up on his elbows. "Yugi. I failed. I wanted to teach that boy Kaiba a lesson about the heart of the cards, but I lost." He groaned.

"Grandpa!" I shouted in panic, running to kneel beside Yugi and Grandpa.

Kaiba spoke from his position at a large doorway. "How's the old man feeling, hmmm?"

"Kaiba, you sleaze. What've you done to him?" Joey demanded.

"We had a duel, that's all. With each of us putting up our most valuable card as the prize. But I guess playing against a champion like myself was just too much stimulation for the old fool." Kaiba laughed to himself.

Tea pointed at Kaiba. "Kaiba, you should be ashamed of yourself.

"It was fair." He held up the Blue Eyes White Dragon. "And look at the sweet prize I won." He then ripped the precious card in half.

We all let out a collective gasp.

"Grandpa's most treasured card!" Yugi lamented.

"Yes, the _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ is a rare and powerful card and this one will never be used against me," Kaiba monologued.

"Ah, my _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_. My treasure." Grandpa moaned before gasping in pain.

"Grandpa! Hold on." Yugi looked up at Kaiba. "How could you do such a thing?"

"Yugi, here. Take this," Grandpa said, handing Yugi his deck.

"Huh? Grandpa?" Yugi questioned him.

"I built this deck. I put my soul in these cards. And I taught you everything I know, Yugi. Take them. Take my cards and teach him respect. Teach Kaiba respect for the heart of the cards, Yugi," Grandpa asked of him.

Yugi protested, "But Grandpa, you need help. I've got to get you to a doctor."

"That sounds like an excuse. Your friends can care for your grandfather while you and I duel... unless you're afraid?" Kaiba taunted Yugi.

"Take him, Yugi," Joey encouraged him.

"Huh?" Yugi looked back at our friends.

"We can take care of your grandpa while you take care of creepy Kaiba. Teach that rich, spoiled brat what a real duel's all about," Joey encouraged him.

"For your grandpa, Yugi," Tea added.

"I don't know," Yugi said softly.

I touched Yugi's shoulder, making him look at me. "Yugi, you're the best duelist I know, and you have the Millennium Puzzle on your side. I know that you can do this and teach Kaiba a lesson," I encouraged him.

"We all do," Tristan added.

Yugi nodded and took Grandpa's deck from him. "I'll do it," he agreed.

"I know you will, my boy," Grandpa stated proudly.

Tea pulled out a black sharpie from her pocket. "Everyone, put your hands together and I'll mark us with a special sign." We did just that and she proceeded to draw a smiley face on our combined hands.

"What gives, Tea?" Joey asked as we pulled out hands back to look at the markings.

"It's a symbol of our friendship so when Yugi's dueling, no matter how tough it gets, he'll know that he's not alone, we're all right there with him," she explained with passion.

"I'll stay with Yugi while you guys take Grandpa to the hospital," I told them.

They all nodded, and Tristan helped Grandpa onto his back. He then led Tea and Joey outside to get Grandpa to a hospital. With Grandpa taken care of, Kaiba led Yugi and I to his dueling arena.

"I designed this virtual stadium myself. Impressive, hmmm? I think you'll agree, it adds a bit more life to the game. We each begin with two thousand life points, the first player to hit zero loses. Are you ready to play, runt?" Kaiba taunted, him taking his place at his duel pad.

Yugi took his place in the other duel pad. "Playtime is over, Kaiba!" Yugi shouted before a bright light erupted from the Millennium Puzzle. I could see it from my position on the sidelines. I watched Yugi go from 5'0 to 5'7 and his outfit seemed to change, mostly his sneakers to boots. His eyes went from droopy to sharp and more blonde streaks appeared in his hair.

"What the-?" Kaiba spoke in shock.

What came from Yugi wasn't his normal high voice, but a deep and commanding voice. "Now, Kaiba, prepare yourself, because it's time to duel."

"Yugi?" I asked aloud, not expecting to be answered as Yugi focused on Kaiba. He looked like Yugi, but the voice and eyes made it obvious that it wasn't really Yugi. This was someone else entirely.

"Virtual systems ready. So, let's begin. I attack with the mighty _Hitotsu Me Giant_. Brace yourself, Yugi. You've never dueled like this before." Kaiba placed the monster down and I gasped almost in fear at the appearance of a giant green monster in the dueling arena.

Yugi recoiled back. "He's brought the monster on the card to life."

"It's my virtual simulator. It creates life-like holograms of every Duel Monster," Kaiba said with a large hint of smugness.

"So, this is how you beat my grandfather. Well now it's my turn. I call on the _Winged Dragon- Guardian of the Fortress_." Yugi played the card and the large golden dragon appeared across from the _Hitotsu Me Giant_. "Fireball attack!"

The dragon blasted a fireball from its mouth and it flew directly for the giant, making the giant shatter into thousands of diamond pixels.

From across the arena, I saw a small boy about twelve with black hair and blue eyes enter. He looked up at Kaiba. "Big brother!" he shouted as Kaiba's life points reduced from 2000 to 1800. "Are you all right?"

"Yes!" I cheered, smiling brightly. "Go, Yugi!"

"Hah. Well played, Yugi... for a beginner. But how will you deal with this?" He summoned this creepy looking clown.

" _Saggi the Dark Clown_? But that card has hardly any attack strength," Yugi said with confusion.

"True, your winged dragon's attack is fourteen hundred, while my dark clown's is only six hundred, but if I combine it with this card..." Kaiba showed a green card.

"Ah, a magic card!" Yugi stated.

"Exactly. The Negative Energy Generator. It multiplies my monster's attack by three. Dark Clown, attack with Dark Light!" Kaiba shouted.

Saggi attacked the dragon and said dragon dissolved into pixels much like the giant before it did. Yugi's life-points went from 2000 to 1600, two hundred behind Kaiba.

"You see, combining cards can be very effective," Kaiba bragged.

 _So, this is what Yugi meant about combining spell cards with monsters to increase their strength_ , I thought while watching the duel. Yugi placed a monster down in face-down defense, protecting him from losing any life points.

"Dark Light attack!" Kaiba called out again.

The face-down monster was destroyed, dissolved.

"You can do this, Yugi!" I called up to him. "Just believe and everything will work itself out!"

Yugi looked down at me and nodded with a smile, saying he believed me.

"You're not faring any better than the old man did, Yugi. Your deck is just as weak and feeble as your grandfather." Kaiba had an evil smirk on his face.

Kaiba's comment made Yugi scrunch his face in anger. "My grandpa is a great man, and a better duelist than you'll ever be. He entrusted me with his cards and I can feel his heart in this deck. I doubt you have that kind of faith in your cards, Kaiba."

"Wha?" Kaiba asked, shocked at Yugi's confidence.

Yugi pulled a card and smirked. "And my faith rewards me with _Gaia the Fierce Knight_! With a destructive power of twenty-three hundred!"

"Ah!" Kaiba shouted.

Gaia appeared on the field and attacked Saggi, shattering the creepy clown. Kaiba's life points went from 1800 to 1300.

"Way to go, Yugi!" I cheered.

"Your move, Kaiba," Yugi told him.

Kaiba let out a dry laugh. "This will be over sooner than you think." He drew a card. "Hmm, I call upon the _Blue Eyes White Dragon_."

Like the monsters before it, the giant white dragon appeared on the playing field. I gasped and back up a little, that thumping in my chest returning. This monster was so familiar, but I couldn't recall coming across this monster before Grandpa showed us the card.

"No way!" Yugi said, shocked at its appearance.

"Impossible!" I shouted. "We watched Kaiba rip that card in half!"

"Surprised?" Kaiba asked, humored at our surprise. "Did you think your grandfather was the only one to possess a _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_?"

The dragon attacked Gaia and Gaia was destroyed, vanishing from the field. I looked at the life points in despair as Yugi's points dwindled down to 900.

"Your Fierce Knight is destroyed. Faith or no faith, you will fall before my superior monsters, Yugi. Power is what this game is all about, you fool. Faith is for losers... like your pathetic grandfather. In your entire deck, there's not a single card that can stand up to a _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_." He held up another _Blue Eyes White Dragon_. "So what hope do you have against two?"

And so, another white dragon appeared on the field.

"Another one?!" I shouted.

"Why don't you admit defeat, Yugi?" Kaiba asked, confident that Yugi would give in.

Yugi looked as if he was conflicted, but that expression vanished, and his confidence remained. "I won't give up. Grandpa's counting on me." He drew a new card. "Huh, a magic card. Swords of Revealing Light! It stops all monsters on the field for three turns."

Large glowing swords appear around the Blue Eyes White Dragons. At this move, I let out a sigh of relief.

"How desperate," Kaiba lamented with a fake sigh. "What good could three turns possibly do?"

Yugi was looking at his hand, contemplating his actions. Apparently, he was taking too long for Prince Seto Kaiba's liking.

"Quit your stalling, Yugi, or you forfeit the match," Kaiba threatened.

"I never forfeit!" Yugi drew another card and nodded to himself.

"Draw any card you like, it won't change a thing. My dragons may be frozen for another two turns, but my new monster is under no such spell. _The Judge Man_ , with an attack power of twenty-two hundred."

 _Judge Man_ appeared on the field and destroyed Yugi's monster in defense, making it do the now familiar dissolving effect.

Yugi drew a new card for his turn and he smirked. He placed the card and the _Dark Magician_ appeared. I knew that this was Yugi's favorite card. " _Dark Magician_ …attack!"

The _Dark Magician_ attacked and destroyed the Judge Man, bringing Kaiba's life points reduced from 1300 to 100.

"Ah, a sacrifice that doesn't even faze me," he said nonchalantly. "And though neither dragon can move for one more turn, my next card is... the third _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_!"

I backed up enough that I ended up landing on the stone step seats behind me in shock as this third dragon appeared.

"Now, my dragon, attack!" Kaiba ordered.

This new dragon attack and destroyed the _Dark Magician_. I let out a whine as that 900 fell to 400.

"So, tell me, Yugi, how's your faith now? On my next turn, all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons are free to attack. This game's over no matter what card you draw. You can't possibly stand against my three _Blue-Eyes White Dragons_. It's over, Yugi. You were never a match for me." Kaiba stood confidently, looking so sure that he was going to win.

I growled and stood back up, shouting up at Yugi. "Don't listen to him, Yugi! I know you can do this. We all believe in you! Don't forget that!"

"Draw your last pathetic card so we can end this duel," Kaiba demanded.

Yugi smirked. "My grandpa's deck has no pathetic cards, Kaiba, but it does have this." He showed a card he just drew. "The unstoppable _Exodia_."

" _Exodia_?" I asked.

"Ah!" Kaiba recoiled. "Impossible!"

"I've assembled all five special cards. All five pieces of the puzzle." On Yugi's side of the field, a blue star appeared and _Exodia's_ limbs appeared inside it, one by one.

" _Exodia_! Ah, it's not possible! No one's ever been able to call him!" Kaiba protested.

" _Exodia_! Obliterate!" Yugi ordered.

 _Exodia_ attacked, vaporizing all three of Kaiba's dragons and bringing his life points to 0.

I let out a cheerful noise and jumped in a circle, my skirt flaring out a bit. "You did it, Yugi! You won! I knew you could do it!"

"This can't be," Mokuba stated in complete shock. "My brother never loses."

"You play only for power, Kaiba, and that is why you lost. But if you put your heart in the game, there is nothing you can't do," Yugi told him.

"But... but how? How could I have lost to him?" Kaiba asked himself as he stared down as his duel screen.

"Kaiba, if you truly wish to know…" A bright yellow eye appeared on Yugi's forehead. "Then open you mind!" He lifted his hand pointed at Kaiba, a blast of invisible energy hitting him with such force that Kaiba fell to his knees has his dark expression fell from his face and replaced with a shattered look on his face. "There, Kaiba, now maybe you will see."

I ran over to Yugi, embracing him when he got off his platform. "I'm so proud of you!" I told him.

He hugged me in return and chuckled. "I won because of your faith and the faith of our friends."

I pulled away and nodded. "Come on, let's go make sure Grandpa is okay!" I took him by the hand and led him out of Kaiba Corp. "Though, I do have a question." I turned back to him and found that Yugi returned to his normal height and looks. Huh? How did he do that? I thought as Yugi smiled.

"What's that?" he asked, his voice back to normal and his droopy eyes shining at me.

"Well, I…" Before I could formulate a fake question, I let out a loud sneeze and coughed as if my lungs were going to come out. I groaned. "Oh man."

Yugi laughed. "Let's get you checked out while we check on Grandpa." He took the lead and smiled at me now wimpy state.

 _ **Okay, so an update after a year? I'm so sorry for not updating till now. I have been busy with work and applying to get my BA and credential. But, I am back, and I am going to finish this story. I have the plot planned out and I know this story will be very, very long. That's why this chapter is super long. So, I will try to update once a week. Perhaps setting a schedule will force me to really do it. (; Until next time!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Mature Content is included in this chapter (Rape). Viewer Discretion Advised.**

 **Chapter III:**

The Gauntlet is Thrown

I let out a loud cough, hacking like my lungs were trying to come up my throat and escape my body. I blew my nose and let out a whimpering noise as I snuggled into my pillow. I only looked up when I heard the door to my apartment open.

"Amy?!" Yugi called for me.

"Up in the loft, Yugi!" I replied but was rewarded with another coughing fit into my let elbow. I heard his footsteps bound up the stairs and I watched him appear in my line of sight, his eyes full of sympathy when he saw me looking pathetic and dead in bed. "Hi, Yugi," I groaned.

"You don't look so good, Amy," Yugi said, coming up to me and putting his hand on my forehead. "You're burning up!"

I nodded slowly, hoping to not upset my pounding head. "Yeah, I have a fever, a migraine, congestion, and heavy coughing. I'm not gonna be coming to school today."

"Well, I'll let the others know that you aren't coming to school today," he promised. "Do you want me to have Grandpa come check on you during the day?"

"No, that's okay, but thank you for offering," I said. "You should get going to school so that you aren't late. I'll call you later when you are home to give you an update."

"Okay, if you're sure." He opened his backpack and pulled out a CD. "I have a mix of those classical songs that you told me you like. Want me to put it on to help you sleep?"

I gave him a warm smile. "I would love that, Yugi. The stereo is on my long dresser."

He walked over to my white chest dresser and popped the CD into my sleek silver stereo system. He pressed play and the sounds of Mozart filled my place. "I'll see you after school," he told me, pressing a brotherly kiss on my forehead.

I hummed, and my eyes drooped close, my body relaxing and falling asleep to the music.

But, it was not a relaxing sleep.

~%~

 _The cave was dark and only lit by sparse torches nailed to the walls. I tried to pull my hands in front of me, but I couldn't because of my hands tied behind my back._

 _A deep, evil laugh filled the cave and I looked in the direction of the laugh, seeing only a dark shadow and not the person's face. It wasn't needed, though. His dark intentions were radiating off him. "Ah, my dear Ana. You've woken up," he said, his voice coming off soothing and charming._

 _I wasn't having it. "Let me go! I told you that I couldn't see you anymore. It's time for the two of us to grow up," I said plainly, not holding back my anger._

 _He laughed and took my chin in his hand, holding my face still while he put his head close to mine. I could feel his eyes boring into mine. "You don't get it, do you little Ana?" He released my chin, but then slapped me. "You have no power here. You aren't with Big Brother and your father. Your guards aren't here. You are powerless and are mine to command."_

 _I recoiled at the feel of the slap but glared at him. "You won't get away with this!"_

 _He pushed me down onto the mat I had been resting on, ripping at my skirt and biting my neck._

 _I screamed as blood leaked from my neck._

" _That's my girl," he groaned, pulling away from my neck. "Scream for me." He wrapped his free hand around my neck and began to squeeze, blocking my airways._

 _I gasped, trying to breathe while I felt something aggressively enter me from my private area. I couldn't scream from the pain, but I did begin to cry from the pain._

 _He didn't stop. He just kept his aggressive motion and pounded into me while keeping my breathing short and gasp-like. It wasn't long, but it ended with something hot shooting into me and a roar coming from him. He released my throat, allowing me to breath._

 _I coughed and took deep breaths as he exited me and once again slapped my face. "You bastard," I croaked._

 _He laughed deeply and brandished a knife from nearby, slashing the skin of my upper arm, making me grunt. "You will be mine, no matter how I have to force you, Ana." He slashed my other arm and the tops of my thighs, blood running from each cut. "We will see how your family will deal with a soiled princess." He didn't slap me but did hit me hard enough to knock me out._

~%~

I screamed and sat up, tears running down my face and my breathing was heavy-which didn't help with my hack coughing. I held onto my chest and my hacking subsided and my breathing slowed. Regaining proper feeling in my chest, I looked down at my hands and blanket, realizing that my nightmare had returned.

I pulled my legs up to my chest and hugged my knees, burying my face between my knees and chest. I took a deep breath and began sobbing.

The nightmare started when I was thirteen, when my parents started feeling comfortable with leaving me with a nanny while they were doing business. Once I was alone and with someone unfamiliar to me, I hadn't had a decent night sleep until I got to Japan, staying with Yugi and Grandpa.

I had forgotten the nightmare, not having had it since I came to Japan. Although, I hadn't been by myself until this day; the one day I was alone. No one was with me in my loft apartment; it was just me. It was partially why I liked being at Yugi's so much. I was never alone with him. I also felt safe with him, never scared for my safety.

"Amy!? I heard you screaming down the hall!" Grandpa called out, entering the apartment and coming up the stairs.

Thank goodness Yugi ignored me and told Grandpa to check on me, I thought to myself as I answered, "Grandpa?" My voice was cracking and high.

He immediately saw me crying on my bed and approached me, wrapping his arm around me. "My dear girl, what's troubling you?"

I lifted my head and tried taking a deep breath, but more tears came so I had to try and speak through my sobbing. "I had a nightmare I have been having since I was thirteen," I sobbed. "I thought they had stopped when I came to Japan, but it came back!"

Grandpa wiped the tears away from left cheek. "Oh, do you want me to call your parents?" he asked, gesturing to the landline phone on the wall.

I shook my head. "They are thrilled that I haven't been having the nightmare! I don't want to worry them."

"Well, I can't leave you here on your own with you so upset," he said. "Come, let's get you back to the Game Shop and we will take care of you."

I sniffled and asked, "Are you sure?"

He smiled and nodded. "Let's get you to across the street."

Luckily, my pajamas were black leggings and a light blue tank top, so I just slipped on my flip flops and grabbed the CD that Yugi had made for me to play while I was at the Game Shop. I got my go-bag and cell phone and followed Grandpa out of my apartment, straight for the Game Shop.

"Up to the guest room, Amy," he said with firm sweetness. "I will get some lunch ready for you."

I smiled at Grandpa. "Thank you for caring, Grandpa," I said softly.

He smiled fondly at me. "Up you go, Sweetie."

I nodded and climbed the stairs for the guest room/my room. I set my go-bag on the desk top, placed the CD into the stereo on the dresser top, kicked my shoes off, and climbed into bed. My body finally calming down from the nasty high of the nightmare, I snuggled under the blanket and fell into a dreamless/nightmare-less sleep.

When I woke up about three hours later, I looked up to see Yugi sitting beside my bed with a wet towel in his hand as he dabbed it on my forehead. "Yugi?" I asked in a whisper.

Yugi smiled brightly and pulled the rag away. "Amy, you're awake. How are you feeling?" he asked.

I sat up and rubbed my right eye, letting out a yawn. "I feel a bit better, but my head still hurts. What time is it?" I asked.

"It's after three, Amy," he told me, dabbing the rag on my forehead again. "You've been sleeping all day. Grandpa has some leek soup shimmering for us to have for dinner."

I smiled. "I like leek soup," I mumbled, my head turning into the pillow.

He chuckled. "I know. I will wake you when it is time for dinner."

I didn't even nod, just falling back to sleep.

About three hours later, I sat up and yawned, stretching my arms up above my head and popping some joints in my back. I let my arms fall to my hands and inhaled, smelling the soup in the kitchen from my room. Feeling a shot of energy from my restful sleep, I folded my blankets off my body and climbed out of bed. I walked over to the door and opened the door, making my way into the hallway and down to the stairs to the kitchen where Yugi and Grandpa were sitting at the table with Joey, who was looking over his deck.

Joey was the first one to notice me. He smiled brightly at me. "Eh, there's our girl!" he greeted me. "How are you feeling?"

Yugi and Grandpa both looked at me and smiled.

I smiled in return. "I feel much better."

"Are you hungry?" Grandpa asked.

I nodded. "I could smell the soup from upstairs."

"Sit down and I will make you a bowl," Grandpa told me.

I sat in the empty chair and looked at Joey, who was back to concentrating on his deck. "What are you doing, Joey?" I asked him.

"Gramps is going to train me to be better at Duel Monsters," he told me.

"How many times did you lose to Tea this time?" I asked with a giggle.

"Five times in a row," Yugi answered for Joey.

"Ah, you really need help then, don't you, Joey?" I accepted the bowl the Grandpa brought to me. "Thank you, Grandpa."

"Eat up and then back to bed for you, Amelia," Grandpa decided. "You may be feeling better now, but you won't be going to school until that fever breaks for 24 hours and you'll be staying here until your parents come home."

I nodded obediently. "Yes, Grandpa," I said, taking a bite of the soup and hummed happily as the warm and flavorful liquid cascaded down my throat into my stomach. "This is delicious!"

My compliment made Grandpa smiled brightly.

Dinner passed quickly with Joey leaving to go home after dinner and Grandpa cleaning up after dinner, sending Yugi and I up to our rooms for Yugi to study and me to go back to bed. I was settling into my bed when Yugi came into my room with a concerned looked on his face.

"Yugi?" I asked.

"Grandpa told me he went to check on you had heard you screaming because of a nightmare," he said. "You've never had nightmares when you are over here."

I sighed. "It's because I…I feel safe here," I admitted softly. "I don't feel save in my own apartment. That's the easy answer for the more complicated story."

"What happens in the nightmare?" Yugi asked innocently, sitting on the side of my bed.

Then came flashes of the knife, the bite, the slaps, and the pain from my lower region; I shuddered and pulled my knees to my chest, burying my face in my knees.

Yugi, being the kind and caring individual he is, wrapped his arm around my shoulders and rubbed my arm with free hand. "You don't have to tell me yet, but I am here for you. No matter what it is, I will help you get through it," he told me.

I sniffed and lifted my head, looking at him. "I had forgotten how horrible it is," I whispered. "Until now, I hadn't had once since I came to live in Japan and I've been staying with you. I don't know what it is, but I feel safe with you and Grandpa; like nothing can hurt me here."

Yugi smiled. "Then I guess you will have to stay here and be my sister, not having any more nightmares," he said brightly.

I giggled and straightened my legs, putting my hands in my lap. "I guess so, though that means you get to share my parents with me," I added.

"No complaints from me!" He chuckled.

We fell into a secret laugh, a bond forming deeper than friendship. And unbeknownst to us, the Millennium Puzzle was glowing between us as this bond was cemented in Fate.

~%~

Weeks passed, and I had returned to school with the others, the bulk of us watching Joey on the sidelines as he trained with Grandpa. It was so weird to see Grandpa being so serious about a game, but this was Duel Monsters and both he and Yugi took the game super seriously.

It was now the night of the Duel Monsters Regional Championship and we were in the living room to watch the broadcast. " _Good evening duel fans and our ten million viewers at home, and welcome to the Duel Monsters Duel Dome, where tonight, the Duel Monsters Regional Championship will be decided. Of the two hundred duelists who have competed in this marathon tournament, only two competitors remain standing. Put your cards together for Weevil Underwood, the Bug Brawler. His opponent, the number one ranked, Rex Raptor, Dino Duelist_." The announcer said.

"Bug Boy versus Dinosaur Man, what kind of match is that? That should've been me in there!" Joey complained.

"I know you've been training for weeks, but those guys are in another league. You're just not ready yet," Tea told him gently but bluntly.

"Sure, rub it in," Joey pouted, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

"And on top of that, you're so tired you can't keep your eyes open," Yugi said.

Joey let out a light snore.

"And that just proves our point," I added.

"I think Grandpa's lessons have been a bit too tough for him," Yugi stated.

 _Flashback!_

 _Joey sat at the table in the kitchen, shuffling his deck with a weak and sleepy motion. Expectedly, his body gave out and he fell forward to rest on the table top with his cards strewn everywhere. "So tired, must rest," Joey muttered._

 _Yugi and I looked around the corner to see Grandpa approach Joey with a stern look on his face, standing over him with a sword. "You have no time for rest!" He whacked the sword down on the table next to Joey's head, making Yugi and I jump and Joey wake back up. "Did you come here to learn Duel Monsters, or did you come here to catch up on your sleeping"_

 _End Flashback!_

"See, it's true what they say- you snooze, you lose," Tristian teased Joey.

Joey woke up and growled.

Grandpa entered the living room with a box on his hands. "Time for your lesson. Oh, and Amelia, your parents are on the phone," he announced.

I squealed and ran from the living room to the store front, picking the phone up off the counter. "This is Amy," I greeted.

" _There's my princess' voice_." Mom answered, her voice soothing.

"Momma, it's so good to hear from you," I told her, jumping up and down a couple times even though she couldn't see me.

" _How have you been, my dear_?" she asked. " _Mr. Muto called us when you were sick a couple weeks ago and told us you had a nightmare. Amelia, was it the nightmare?"_

I sighed. I should have realized that Grandpa would have told my parents about my nightmare, like a responsible adult. "Yes, it was the nightmare," I said honestly. "But, it was only in the flat we had rented out for me to stay in. While in Yugi's house, there are no nightmares; at all."

" _I'm glad, my darling. So, you'll be staying with the Muto family, then?"_ she asked knowingly.

I let out a giggle. "Grandpa basically said just that," I said. "He is a very loving parent to Yugi and treats me the same, as if I am his grandchild by birth."

" _Your father and I will have to thank Mr. Muto for his kindness when we get home at the end of the week_ ," she announced slyly.

"Really?! The end of the week?" I asked, squealing.

" _Of course, my darling. We are bringing you something back from Egypt_ ," she promised me.

"Momma, you don't have to bring me back anything," I told her. "I just want you both to come back to me safe."

" _And we enjoy doting on you, darling_ ," Mom replied. " _Now, return to your friends. We will see you on Saturday. We love you, Darling_."

"I love you both too, Momma. Give Daddy my love and a kiss," I said.

She made a kiss noise into the phone before we both hung up. I walked back into the living room and caught the tail end of the tournament broadcast. " _A stunning upset by Weevil Underwood, our newest champion_ ," the announcer said, the crowd cheering behind his voice.

"Man, King Rex squashed by an insect?" Joey asked, shocked that Weevil actually won the duel.

"And now a very special honor for our new champion, here to present the Duel Monsters championship trophy, the creator of Duel Monsters and the president of Industrial Illusions. Ladies and gentlemen and fellow duelists, I give you Maximillion Pegasus!" The announcer gestured to the middle of the arena, a man coming up from the floor holding a large golden trophy.

"Oh, I've met him before," I said, taking a seat on the couch arm by Yugi.

"Where at?" Tea asked.

"At one of my parents' charity functions for their company," I answered her.

"What's he like?" Tristan asked.

I bit the inside of my cheek before saying, "He's eccentric, that's the best word for him. He wasn't a bad guy, he's just strange."

"Hah! With all the excitement of the championship, you forgot to open your package, Yugi," Grandpa reminded Yugi.

Yugi opened the white box that Grandpa has brought into the living room before. Inside this box was a red glove, two golden stars, and a video tape.

"It's some kind of glove," Tea stated.

"And stars," Joey added.

"Maybe there is an explanation on the video," Tristan chimed in.

"Pop it in," Joey told Yugi, the bunch of us moving to sit on the ground around Yugi.

"Okay," Yugi agreed, pushing the VHS tape into the player and the TV went static for a moment before a video of Pegasus began to play.

"Greetings, little Yugi. I am Maximillion Pegasus," the video spoke directly to Yugi.

"Pegasus?" Joey asked.

"But we just saw him on the TV," Tea stated.

"The famous Maximillion Pegasus sends greetings to my Yugi?" Grandpa asked in a shocked tone.

"I have heard some terribly interesting things about you, Yugi," Pegasus said.

"Huh?" Yugi asked softly, a little confused.

"Your present defeat of Seto Kaiba intrigued me so much, I've decided to investigate your amazing dueling skills personally." Pegasus continued. "Right here, right now, we shall hold a special duel. We'll play with a strict time limit of fifteen minutes and when time's up, the player with the highest life-points will be the winner. Are you ready?"

"Wha-?" Yugi asked.

"He can't expect you to duel against a video tape," Joey chimed in.

"That's crazy!" Tristan added.

The video of Pegasus let out an evil laugh, his hair moving to the side and in his left eye socket was a golden eye that began to glow. "No, it's magic!"

"Huh?!" We all said as the world around us darkened. I grabbed onto Yugi's arm as Tea, Joey, Tristan, and Grandpa froze and faded to the back behind us. The dark magic the pulled them away from us was trying to pull me away as well, but it failed.

"Guys?" I asked aloud to them but didn't get an answer.

"Everything's growing dark and cold and the others aren't moving. What have you done to them? Where have you taken us?" Yugi demanded of Pegasus.

The man on the TV let out another evil laugh. "We're no longer in the world you know. But I will return you... after our game." Pegasus looked to me. "Hmm, it seems that the magic didn't affect you, Miss Amelia Carroll."

Yugi moved his arm out of my grip and placed it in front of me, glaring at Pegasus. "Leave my sister alone, Pegasus!" he almost growled. "It's time to duel!"

Once again, the bright light from the Millennium Puzzle shined and Yugi transformed again. The older Yugi now sat beside me.

He transformed again, I thought to myself. It's almost like he is a completely different person. I decided at this moment to refer to this version of Yugi as 'Other Yugi.'

"Start the clock and make your move, Pegasus," Other Yugi told Pegasus.

"Certainly," Pegasus agreed. "Let's begin."

The VCR timer, thanks to the magic, set at **00:15.00** and began to count down.

"Nervous, Yugi-boy? You should be. You have never faced a duelist like me before," Pegasus taunted.

"You may be good," Other Yugi began to say, but Pegasus interrupted him.

"I assure you, I am."

"But I will beat you to save my friends," Other Yugi finished, his tone confident, as he was about to play his first card.

Pegasus' eye began to glow again. "You won't save anyone with that dragon card."

Other Yugi was shocked. "How?" he asked.

"How did you know what card he had?" I asked, shocked as well.

"I told you, you've never faced anyone like me before. I know every move you'll make. Before you can even make it." Pegasus smirked.

Other Yugi glared at him. It was strange to see a glare on Yugi's face, but this really seemed like a different person.

"Knowing every move you'll make gives me a distinct advantage, wouldn't you say? For example, I can anticipate your next play and counter it with this _Dragon Capture Jar_."

"Agh!" I put my hands on Other Yugi's shoulders and held him in comfort and support.

Pegasus continued with his rant. "It will draw the _Kimori Dragon_ from your card and imprison the beast. Trapped. Never to be played against me."

"This is crazy," Other Yugi stated. "First he reads my mind, then he brings the monster on my card to life."

"This dark dimension we're in is known as the Shadow Realm, a mystical place where incredible monsters can be summoned and the impossible is quite possible," Pegasus explained.

"But what you're telling us can't be true," I chimed in.

Other Yugi raised his free hand on my left hand in comfort.

Pegasus chuckled. "Tell me, do you believe there is magic in these cards?"

"Don't you know? You invented this game," Other Yugi sassed him.

"What if I told you I didn't?" Pegasus sassed back.

We shared a look before saying, "Huh?!"

"In ancient times, the Egyptians called this the Shadow Game. Powerful fellows would hold mystical duels in other dimensions just as we're doing now. But not with cards, they battled with real monsters and real magic. Magical forces so powerful, the Egyptians lost control of them and nearly destroyed the entire world."

There was a knocking in the back of my mind, as if the explanation from Pegasus was resonating with something in me. His explanation sounded…familiar.

Other Yugi didn't seem to believe him, though. "It's a good story, Pegasus. But these monsters can't be real."

"Tell that to my _Dragon Piper_ as his flute of resurrection frees your _Kimori Dragon_ but puts him under my control." Pegasus played the card he explained and what he said was going to happen happened.

Other Yugi had a creepily intense look on his face, but it was familiar yet not. "I have to counter attack! _Silver Fang_!"

The _Kimori Dragon_ attacked _Silver Fang_ , flames destroying the wolf and flames came toward us.

I let out a shriek, hiding my face in Other Yugi's back.

"Oh, the heat!" His life-points reduced from 2000 to 1500.

"Hah! As you see, Yugi, these monsters are very real." He let out an evil laugh. "And also quite dangerous." Again, another evil laugh. "Ah, Yugi-boy. You really are quite entertaining- the way you scowl and sneer so defiant and yet helpless. And so completely ignorant of the power of your Millennium Puzzle."

Other Yugi looked down at the puzzle. "What?!"

I peeked out around him and looked at the puzzle.

More explanation came from Pegasus. "Five thousand years ago, a powerful pharaoh locked the power of the Shadow Games away."

"What's this have to do with me?" Other Yugi asked.

"The pharaoh captured these vast magical energies in seven mystical Millennium Items."

"Seven items? You're saying that... Yugi's puzzle's one of them?" I asked.

Pegasus grinned. "Yes, and there are mystical energies locked within it. Magic that could change your life forever... if you only knew how to unleash it."

"But why are you telling me this?" Other Yugi asked.

"Why? Simply because I need you to know. But perhaps I have said too much. And since the clock is still ticking, I propose we resume playing our little duel." Pegasus looked down at his cares.

Other Yugi looked like he was contemplating his move and seemed cautious since Pegasus could somehow see his cards and moves before he even could.

Pegasus was getting a little impatient. "Hurry up now, Yugi-boy. Time is running out for you and your friends. I already know you plan to play the _Zombie Warrior_ , and I'm already prepared to counter it with a trap card that makes even zombies lie down and play dead."

Other Yugi smirked. "Not this time. I figured out your little game, Pegasus. You may be able to see the cards in my hand, but you can't see the cards I pull from the deck."

I smiled at his clever thinking.

Pegasus narrowed his eyes. "Hmmm?"

He drew his card and smirked. "My next card is... the _Dark Magician_!"

"Whoa, the big, scary _Dark Magician_ ," Pegasus said sarcastically.

"Mock me all you like, Pegasus. But my magician will destroy that dragon," Other Yugi shot back.

"Go right ahead, if you think it'll help." Pegasus seemed a little too…apathetic with his move.

"It'll do more than help, Pegasus. It'll bring you closer to defeat and bring me closer to saving my friends."

"If it can do all that, by all means, play it."

Okay, Pegasus' apathetic nature was getting a little, no, VERY irritating. I let out an annoyed growl, which earned me a silent chuckle from Other Yugi.

" _Dark Magician_!" Dark Magician appeared on playing field.

I smiled down at the little Dark Magician, Yugi's favorite monster.

"Dark Magic Attack!" Other Yugi ordered.

 _Dark Magician_ attacked _Kimori Dragon_ , destroying the dragon. Pegasus' life-points reduced from 2000 to 1200.

Pegasus laughed triumphantly. "Nicely played. But by using your _Dark Magician_ , you've let me manipulate you once again."

Other Yugi looked confused. "Huh?"

Pegasus continued. "By playing that one card, you have ensured my victory."

"No!" Other Yugi protested.

"We shall see, Yugi. Oh, a very rare card. This is the fearsome _Faceless Mage_." He showed us the monster's card.

"I've never seen that card before. But my _Dark Magician_ is one of the strongest magic cards in the game," Other Yugi stated.

"But how will he fare once I combine my _Faceless Mage_ with the, equally rare, _Eye of Illusion_?" Pegasus played his cards.

" _Dark Magician_ , Dark Magic Attack!"

The Dark Magician attacked, but the Faceless Mage was unaffected by the attack with the Eye of Illusion protecting it.

"My attack had no effect at all!" Other Yugi was shocked.

Pegasus laughed.

"His _Faceless Mage_ should've been destroyed, but it's still standing and I'm running out of time."

I bit my lip and looked at the VCR timer, which read **00:05.00**.

Other Yugi played a card and the _Celtic Guardian_ appeared on playing field. "This mighty warrior will cut your Faceless Mage down to size."

"True, your elf is mighty. But you have once again underestimated the incredible power of my _Eye of Illusion_!" Pegasus laughed.

"No!" he protested.

"Dark Magic Attack!" Pegasus said.

The _Celtic Guardian_ shatters, Other Yugi's life-points are reduced from 1500 to 0400.

"Well, Yugi, our time together is nearly up, and as I have more life-points than you, it appears I am the victor." Pegasus was so confident that he was going to win.

The VCR clock now read **0:00.05.**

"Time's not up yet, Pegasus. And you've left your _Faceless Mage_ vulnerable to a physical assault." Other Yugi held up _Summoned Skull_.

Pegasus grunted.

" _Summoned Skull_ , attack!" Other Yugi said.

I watched the VCR clock which now read **0:00.02**. Summoned Skull appeared on the playing field. The clock read **0:00.01** and then **0:00.00** just as Summoned Skull attacked but froze because the time was out.

Pegasus grinned. "Well, we've run out of time. But how close was that? If you had been able to complete that attack, I would have lost. But I didn't, did I? I have taken the measure of your talents this day, Yugi Muto. And when next we duel, we shall play for far higher stakes."

"I'm done with your games," Other Yugi refused.

Pegasus shook his finger at us. "You presume I'm giving you a choice in the matter. But..." He lifted hair aside to reveal his golden eye. "I'm not, for I too possess one of the seven Millennium Items- the all-powerful Millennium Eye!"

"A Millennium Eye?" I asked with Other Yugi.

"That's right, Yugi-boy, Amy-girl. And now I'll show you the true extent of its magic. You see, I have found that- given the proper incentive, anyone can be made to play my game." The Millennium Eye glowed and I screamed as Grandpa's soul was pulled from his body and into the TV.

"Grandpa?!" I shouted.

Grandpa called to us from the television screen "Yugi! Amy!"

Other Yugi morphed back into Yugi and he grabbed at the TV. "Grandpa!" he cried out.

The video of Pegasus faded, but he said one last thing. "Yes, we will duel again, Yugi. How else will you reclaim your grandfather's soul?"

The darkness faded and we all returned to the world we knew. Our friends were freed, but Grandpa's now soulless body fell to the floor.

"Grandpa! Grandpa! Grandpaaaaaa!" Yugi and I screamed at the TV.

 **OKAY! Chapter III is done, and we will be heading to Duelist Kingdom next chapter. Yes, Amelia is having nightmares about a rape. She has a very dark past connected to the Millennium Items and such. More will be revealed as the story goes on. See you guys next week!**


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